Chapter 12 Twelve Fires

After Ji Ran got into the car, he glanced at the missed call and dialed the number back.

“What is it?”

Li Qiao across from him said, “The Weibo post hasn’t been sent yet. Director Jiang gave me a call; he wants you to wait until the film goes offline before posting the clarification on Weibo.”

Ji Ran frowned, “No”

Li Qiao seemed to have guessed Ji Ran’s thoughts and added, “Director Jiang means that if you have time, meet tomorrow night to discuss it in detail.”

Ji Ran pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t have time tomorrow night. If he wants to talk, it will have to be tonight.”

Li Qiao was a little surprised. Ji Ran had deliberately kept today free — how could he suddenly have time now? Had something happened? He didn’t dare ask, but still agreed, “I’ll contact Director Jiang right away.”

Yan Duo woke from her nap to find a missed call from Qi Sixian asking her to come to the company—he had something to discuss with her. She changed clothes and took a car to the office.

The main reason Qi Sixian wanted her to come was to arrange her upcoming work. “You graduate next month, so we won’t send you out of town before then. For now I’ve only signed you up for two small cameo roles, both shot in T City. Also, we’ve scheduled some training for you—drop by to learn when you’re free.”

Yan Duo took the work sheet from Qi Sixian and glanced it over. The two cameo roles were ones she had chosen after reading the scripts herself, and the training sessions were mostly in the afternoons and on weekends, so they wouldn’t interfere with her school.

“All right, no problem.” Yan Duo put the work sheet away and said.

Qi Sixian looked at Yan Duo and said, “The TV series you did with Ji Ran is about to air. There are already several versions of the press releases — do you have any ideas? For example, do you want to hype a CP with someone?”

Any actor with ambition would promote themselves with press releases, especially a newcomer like Yan Duo making her first appearance to the audience. To get as many people to know her as possible, issuing press releases is an effective route.

There are many types of press releases. Some people like to hype CPs to get attention, some prefer to flaunt their glamour, and others play the tragic angle… If you can think of it, there’s a press release for it. Hype between co-stars is probably the most common tactic. During the drama’s run you push a round of CP content; if it works well, you can ride the wave into “from fake to real” romance, go through all the sweet moments, buy a few trending searches, and when the timing’s right, stage a breakup trending finale. By then, both sides of the CP will likely have plenty of heat and fans.

When Qi Sixian asked Yan Duo this question he was trying to gauge her opinion. If she agreed, they’d move in that direction; if not, they’d plan something else. Of course, the CP partner wouldn’t be the drama’s official big-name match, Ji Ran. Qi Sixian had his sights set on a male actor in the cast who liked Yan Duo’s character but had no payoff, and who, offscreen, was also basically a newcomer.

When Yan Duo heard “publicity pairing,” she instinctively shook her head. “No, I think let’s keep it like this. I’m just a new actress; don’t send too many press releases, save the money.”

Yan Duo had her own rules in mind. As a newcomer with limited acting skills, she wasn’t dreaming of exploding into fame from a single drama—she preferred to take it slowly.

Qi Sixian looked at the seemingly zen Yan Duo and tapped her on the head with the pen in his hand. “Do you have to be such a coward? You don’t even pay for the press releases—how pathetic!”

Yan Duo walked over to Qi Sixian with a grin, hooked her arm through hers and said, “Isn’t it because worrying won’t help? Better to not let Sister Qi go to the trouble!”

Qi Sixian couldn’t help but knock her on the head again. “Go wait outside for half an hour. Afterwards, treat me to a meal.”

Yan Duo nodded like a mortar pounding garlic, “Alright then, I’ll wait for you outside.”

Sitting outside Qi Sixian’s office, Yan Duo first called home to say she wouldn’t be coming home for dinner. After asking why, Xu Yarou asked her, “Do you still have any money? Want me to have my mom transfer you some?”

Although Yan Duo had been filming for half a year, most of her roles were minor supporting parts, and some were even unpaid cameos. Up to now, after the share taken by the agency, the pay she actually received wasn’t much, which is why the Yan family had been going all out to give her various subsidies.

Yan Duo laughed through her tears, “No need, I have enough money.”

After hanging up, Yan Duo turned and saw Zhu Xue and Zhang Xinyi standing not far away whispering about her; when their eyes met hers they immediately stopped talking and turned their heads to the side.

Yan Duo smiled and waved at the two of them, “Hi, hello!”

The three were all under Qi Sixian, effectively fellow disciples, and Yan Duo, out of that bond, didn’t want to make enemies with them. But those two had never taken a liking to Yan Duo.

Zhu Xue glared at her and said coolly, “You’re not as good as me.”

Yan Duo propped her chin in her hand, looked them over from head to toe, and smiled, “I can tell!”

Zhu Xueyi choked, then smiled maliciously as an idea struck her: “Hmph, there’s something you don’t know yet. Little Boss Fan just went on a blind date today—and the guy is a hundred times better than you. Let’s see how long you can keep gloating!”

As soon as Yanduo lost Boss Fan Xiao as her backer, Qi Sixian would no longer favor her so much — Zhu Xue and the others had been waiting for this day for over half a year.

Yan Duo’s expression froze for a moment; the smile on her face seemed to falter. Zhu Xue and Zhang Xinyi sneered, about to mock her further, when Yan Duo let out a sigh and said, “This is so sudden—I haven’t even decided on a wedding gift yet!”

As the words fell, Zhu Xue and Zhang Xinyi hadn’t yet reacted when a soft snort of laughter came from behind them.

“Then you think it over carefully — five years, that’s plenty of time for you to decide.”

Hearing the speaker’s voice, Zhu Xue and Zhang Xinyi’s expressions changed. They turned, called out “Boss Fan,” and without waiting for Qi Sixian to catch up, took off running.

Talking about my boss’s private life behind his back, only to be caught red-handed by him — there’s nothing more embarrassing than that.

After they left, Fan Xian glanced at their retreating figures and asked Yan Duo, “Do they often bully you like that?”
Yan Duo glanced sideways, “Are you sure they were bullying me?”

Fan Xian laughed loudly, and for a moment reached to ruffle her hair, but only in his mind — he wanted to explain about his matchmaking, though he knew it wasn’t the right time — so instead he asked casually, “What are you doing here?”

Yan Duo pointed toward Qi Sixian’s office, “Waiting to treat Sister Qi to a meal. bookzun.com”

Fan Xian nodded without comment, knocked, and went into Qi Sixian’s office. Less than half an hour later, Fan Xian and Qi Sixian came out together. Originally Yan Duo had planned to treat just one person to lunch, but now it turned into treating two. She didn’t mind though; she got into Qi Sixian’s car and they went to a newly opened hotel.

In the car, Qi Sixian explained to Yan Duo: “Boss Fan said he had no dinner tonight, so I casually asked him if he wanted to join us, and he didn’t refuse… You won’t mind, will you?”

Not many people in the company didn’t know about Fan Xian’s feelings for Yan Duo; Yan Duo just pretended she didn’t know. Qi Sixian knew she had been avoiding the topic and avoiding being alone with Fan Xian, so he made a point of explaining.

Yan Duo smiled and joked, “It’s fine, one more person just means one more mouth to feed. I brought enough money!”

Qi Sixian liked her optimistic, slightly silly personality. Hearing her, he smiled at her and thought, no wonder the young boss liked her; even this straight-laced girl couldn’t help but want to be kind to her.

The restaurant where the three of them ate was a recently opened Western-style place chosen by Qi Sixian. The setting was elegant and it was packed with customers—if they hadn’t reserved in advance, they’d still be waiting for a table.

After they sat down, Yan Duo looked around, then wrinkled her nose and took a big sniff of the air, flattering Qi Sixian: “Just from the smell I can tell this place’s steak has got to be delicious. My Sister Qi’s taste is extraordinary.”

Qi Sixian, sitting beside her, shot her a glance. “Are you a dog? Your nose that sharp?”

Yan Duo: “Woof!”

Fan Xian watched the clowning Yan Duo and laughed heartily, affection nearly spilling from his eyes.

Qi Sixian: “……”

“Believe it or not, I’ll light a beef bone for you to gnaw on?”

Yan Duo, who loved eating meat but disliked gnawing on bones, grabbed Qi Sixian’s wrist and begged for mercy, “Sister Qi, have mercy!”

Qi Sixian shot her a glare, then looked elsewhere. That look uncovered some big gossip. She tugged Yan Duo and pulled her toward Fan Xianshen, “Looks like Xiao Yao?”

Xiao Yao?

The moment Yan Duo heard the name, she brightened instantly. She followed Qi Sixian’s gaze and saw a woman in a black low-cut dress smiling coquettishly at the person across from her, looking as if she were a lovestruck young girl.

“Although only half her face was visible, I recognized at once that the man opposite her was Ji Ran. Tsk tsk, I originally thought they were just a rumor, but seeing this, it might actually be true.”

There had been reports before suggesting something fishy between the two. Qi Sixian thought Ji Ran probably wouldn’t look twice at a woman like Xiao Yao; those rumors were likely manufactured to boost box office by creating buzz. But now the promotional period was over, and the two were still meeting alone for dinner — that wasn’t simple, was it?

Yan Duo felt conflicted. She had just seen the watch on the wrist of the person across from Xiao Yao and had confirmed it was Ji Ran. She had been thinking that the people invited to dinner were surely more than just the two of them, but after hearing Qi Sixian’s words, Yan Duo couldn’t help but wonder further—were he and Xiao Yao really…? Yan Duo didn’t dare to think any deeper.

Fan Xian also glanced over and said indifferently, “He’s unmarried and she’s unwed—even if they were both married, it wouldn’t be that unusual for a crew to pair up a temporary couple for the production, would it?”

Since Fan Xian began taking over the family business, he had seen more of the industry’s unspoken rules than anyone should, and the sleazy dealings inside were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Saying that, Fan Xian glanced at Yan Duo and, thinking of how he occasionally cameoed in productions, quickly added, “Ahem, of course, not everyone is like that—there are still a few people who keep themselves very upright.”

Qi Sixian gave Fan Xian a meaningful look when he heard that.

Absent-minded Yan Duo didn’t grasp the implication behind Fan Xian’s words at all; her thoughts were already spiraling outward: the film with Ji Ran and Xiao Yao was shot before she worked with them, so if Ji Ran got involved with her on set, wouldn’t it be just as normal for him to get involved with other women?

Yan Duo could convince herself to forgive Ji Ran’s actions before their marriage, but after they were married, whether he had… Yan Duo didn’t dare think about it, and she certainly didn’t dare ask.

Qi Sixian saw Yan Duo fall silent and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Yan Duo shook her head with a smile, “It’s nothing.”

Qi Sixian glanced again in Ji Ran’s direction and suddenly understood Yan Duo’s feelings. He advised, “You know, as a fan, don’t put your idol on too high a pedestal. The perfection many artists display doesn’t mean they’re perfect people themselves—don’t be fooled by their appearances.”

When Yan Duo first signed with the company, she didn’t hide the fact that Ji Ran was her idol, which later became an important reason Qi Sixian pushed hard for her to collaborate with Ji Ran; after all, for future publicity, “working with one’s idol” was an excellent angle.

Yan Duo knew Qi Sixian had misunderstood, smiled and agreed, and didn’t say more.

Just as the snacks were brought out early, everyone stopped discussing Ji Ran and began eating together.

They hadn’t been eating long when Qi Sixian’s phone rang. She got up, took her phone, and walked outside to answer it.

Yan Duo didn’t pay her any mind. She told herself not to overthink things, composed herself, and dipped a chicken wing in ketchup to eat.

“You’ve got ketchup on your face.”

Yan Duo took the tissue Fan Xian handed her and casually wiped, but missed.

Obsessive Fan Xian couldn’t stand it, got up and took another tissue to wipe for her. Before the tissue touched Yan Duo, she glared toward the person behind him, and the chicken wing she hadn’t finished fell onto the table.

Fan Xian withdrew his hand and turned to look behind him. Ji Ran and Xiao Yao were walking over side by side. Xiao Yao smiled and greeted him, but Ji Ran glanced at Yan Duo — that look sent a chill through Fan Xian, an inexplicable coldness.

Yan Duo stared blankly as Ji Ran and Xiao Yao passed by, feeling as if a stone had been pressed on her chest. Jealousy spread endlessly in her heart, and her imagination ran wild — was the real reason Ji Ran didn’t take her home today that he was afraid she’d get in the way of him having dinner with Xiao Yao?

Author’s note: Yan Duo: Go home and kneel on a washboard!

Ji Ran: Go home and kneel on instant noodles!

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